itscurtains | second trial

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second trial

[As the investigation ends, you'll hear Hester's voice inviting you to the auditorium. As this happens, the twin doors on either side of the concession stand, across from the gym, will click open. You can enter on either side; both go to the same place.

When you enter the auditorium, it's dark. There's only the small lights along the walkway behind all the seats, just enough to illuminate where you're going. There's a central path between the seats, down towards where you know the stage must be. That's where you must be going, right? As you pass each row of seats, the lights at their ends flick on, marking your procession and slowly making more and more of the room visible. Shortly, you can see your destination: a circle of podiums stationed in the orchestra pit, below the lip of the darkened, curtained stage. They're all identical, labeled with a cast member's name. Elisabeth and Connor have joined Mumble in having theirs draped in black crepe and with a framed monochrome photo of them on top.

When you reach the podiums, the lights above the stage finally come on. the Wizard is once again waiting for you. Beside it Hester is slowly lowers in on her bubble. Her dress this week is a purple monstrosity, more akin to a voluminous prom dress than the simple outfits she usually wears.

The mechanical head, with glowing green eyes, is installed above the stage and the still-closed curtain. Even if you were standing on the stage, it'd be well out of reach. It peers down at all of you, its motions fluid, and speaks with a booming, artificial-sounding voice:]

Welcome to your second trial, everyone. It's time to determine who was responsible for the murder of Connor. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves and work together - you'll have to show teamwork if you want to leave this room alive.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There was a paring knife missing from the kitchen. That would fit.

As for the blood- are you suggesting they found him when he was already dead?

I don't really know. I can't - it's hard to think, about what must've happened. But someone had to have found him and cleaned up, because he wouldn't have been able to do it himself with. With his wrists like that.

I...really hate to say this, but with that kind of injury...there should have been a lot of blood, right?

[Like, that's completely unavoidable he thinks, which is where the cleaning up might have come in.]

A lot. [ says Orpheus, staring at the ground between all the podiums and looking distant. ] Bleeding out is -

[ He shakes his head and swallows hard. ]

If the cuts are what killed him, there should've been a lot of blood. I don't think anyone else found any, though? Except on the knife, and a little on him and his clothes. So it must've all been washed away.

Mm...

[...]

What about if the cuts were made after he died? Would it have still been that much blood?

Maybe? I don't know. I think there'd still be a lot, if the cuts happened the same night he died? But maybe less.

You and Prince Angus were talking about... melatonin? Earlier? Do you think it's possible to take enough of that for it to be poisonous?

Peregrine mentioned that taking many of these pills won't necessarily kill a person. It would prevent them from waking up for a long time.

...Enough time to set up a murder.

[Varian shakes his head.]

Peregrine said it's not possible. It has some bad after-effects, but if anything you'd just be knocked out cold.

But being unconscious makes for an easy target, I think.

[ Orpheus looks at Angus and Varian, then goes back to staring at the floor. ]

It would... make it really easy, to set all of this up. If he just slept through it.